SAINT LUKE, EVANGELIST (FEAST)

Luke is the only one with me.

What made Luke stay? Paul’s imprisonment in Rome was tough going—and not just for him but for his companions as well. Many had already left to pursue other ventures. How easy it would have been for Luke to slip away too! He could have returned to practicing medicine. He could have done some tangible good for people, not just tend to Paul each time he nearly got himself killed. Who would blame him?

But he stayed. Why? Clearly, Luke was fully invested in Paul’s ministry and wanted to help him keep preaching. Certainly, he loved and respected Paul for his brilliance and his boldness. But more than that, Luke believed that the gospel Paul preached was true and that the world needed to hear about salvation through Christ. Paul had been preaching and ministering for years already, but he needed coworkers like Luke to help people see and understand the full truth that was changing the world.

The truth of the gospel is still changing the world. True, many voices vie for influence over us, but whenever the truth about Jesus is proclaimed, all these other voices are silenced for a time. It’s tempting to think that we need to be practiced in our presentation in order to win people’s attention. While it never hurts to always be ready, nothing can replace the appeal of a person whose own life has been transformed telling another person about Jesus.

This must be what Luke saw in Paul, and it must have rubbed off on him. Luke went on to write his own Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, providing his readers with a compelling picture of the Christian faith he loved so much.

All around the world, there are missionaries risking their lives for the gospel. We can help care for them through our prayers of intercession. We can stand by them in spirit, just as Luke stood by St. Paul in his trials. Even more, we can become witnesses to Christ in our own neighborhoods, proclaiming the gospel by our words and actions.

“Jesus, give me the strength to stay the course as Luke did so that I can continue spreading the good news about you.”

Psalm 145:10-13, 17-18
Luke 10:1-9
2 Timothy 4:10-17